i have 2 different set of brake pads, one ceramic, the other the cheapie ones. ive been flipping between them because i cant figure out whats wrong. i have cross drilled rotors.

i used the cheapie ones for a while, they have holes perferated in them, and they worked well, pedal a bit soft compared to new car but i could stop ok, and lock them up if i wanted.

i put the ceramics on because i switched rims and dont want the dust.

immedaiatly i noticed i have to push way harder on the pedal and the car barley tries to stop. i even thought for a minute i blew a line. but no. if i try to it wont even lock the fronts. when i first bought these ceramic pads 2 years ago i could lock them up no problem.


ive bled the calipers many times. they are new this summer, along with front lines sliders and hoses.

why are my ceramic padss so crappy compated to the cheap ones? can i put a cheapie on the inside and ceramic on the outside maybe?
or are my ceramics pooched? they have lots of meat left in them

 

I could be wrong, but don't the ceramics need to get up to temperature before they'll work? If so, drive it like you stole it for a little while
Could the ceramic ones be binding on the caliper somehow where the normal pads don't?

Mark.

 

i stopped hard a few times.. did nothing. then i rode the brakes for a bit till i could smell it. nothing.

 

Cheap or organic pads will actually grip much better than a performance pad. What you get in a performance pad is fade resistance. I bet you'll get twice the number of stops out of a set of ceramics before they fade. Also keep in mind that ceramics aren't the best performance pad out there, their main selling point is that they are quite and don't dust.